Chapter 2

Everybody started talking at once: my dad, my mom, her dad, her mom, and Morrisette. I just sat down on the couch and looked at Morrisette. She didn't even look at me. I mean, we didn't do the stuff that was in the movies, like putting my penis inside her. I didn't know you could get pregnant from that other stuff. I was just going to be 14 in, like mid-October. And I was going to be a daddy.

Wow.

I didn't even hear what the others were saying. I just kept thinking: I was gonna be a daddy. And I was just going into 7^th grade.

Finally, they all quieted down and I heard Morrisette saying: "He was just so big, you know ... down there. And I wanted to just try it. Then I missed my period." She hung her head.

Then all the grown-ups turned to me. I guess it was my turn to say something. "I didn't think you could even get pregnant from doing what we did."

Then they all started talking again.

My mom sat down next to me and took my hands. Even the left hand which was kinda jerky and spasm-y. "Chris," she said quietly, "tell me the truth. What did you mean when you said you didn't think you could get pregnant from what you did? Did you have sex with Morrisette or not?"

Suddenly, you could hear a pin drop. Morrisette shouted, "Of course he did. How do you think I got pregnant?" Then her mother 'shushed' her.

I said, "I didn't think so. I mean, mostly it was [mumble]." I didn't want to let anybody hear what we did.

Dad said, "Chris, you have to speak up. This is important."

I looked at him. "All right!" I said, maybe too loudly. "She had my penis in her mouth. Mostly. You can't get pregnant that way."

Then everybody started talking again. I mostly remember her mother saying, "You mean you put his thing in..."

And her dad saying "Morrisette! You shouldn't have done even that with a half-wit. You should know he couldn't control himself..."

And then my mother shouting, "If you're going to insult my son, you'll be doing it from outside. Now SHUT UP EVERYBODY..." Then in a normal voice, she said, "You said 'mostly' ... what else did you do?"

"He fucked me, that's what!" shouted Morrisette.

"Chris?" said mom.

"Well, I touched her with my hands up top and on her girly parts..." I said.

Morrisette 's dad said, "Hmmmff. Girly parts."

I went on: "And sometimes I touched her outside on her vagina and clitoris with my penis. But I didn't think you could get pregnant if I didn't shoot."

There was quiet in my living room.

"So you didn't shoot when you were touching her?" mom said.

"Well, in her mouth, I guess. But that's all."

Then her mom said, "Oh my God!"

And her dad said, "Why you..."

Then my dad said, "Okay. Here's what I propose." Everybody got silent again. He was an attorney so they had to listen, I guess. "Morrisette said he did, and she certainly is pregnant. Chris said he didn't."

Her dad broke in with, "You can't take the word of a..."

My mom got up and stood right up to him. "I'd be careful what you call my son, unless you want me to hit you." So he shut up.

My dad continued, "Without meaning to call either one into question, there is no way, at this point, to tell which is true. When did the doctor say you were due, Morrisette?"

"I haven't been to the doctor yet. I took two different home pregnancy tests, and I've missed my period twice, now. So I just know I'm pregnant. And it couldn't have been anybody but Chris," she said.

"So," my dad went on, "the baby's due sometime in January or February. There's a few weeks left before the cut off date ... have you decided to keep the baby or have an abortion?"

"She'll get an abortion," said her dad.

"She will NOT!" said her mom. "That's my grandchild in there."

"I don't want an abortion. I want to keep it," cried Morrisette.

"Well," said my dad, "either way ... at the end of the pregnancy we'll just get a DNA test and prove the paternity. If Chris is responsible..."

"What do you mean if?" her dad almost shouted.

"It seems likely," said my dad, "but Chris says he didn't and Morrisette says he did. In either case, if he's responsible, then he will stand financially responsible. And we'll stand beside him."

"What if he's not?" asked Morrisette.

Dad turned on her slowly. "I thought you said he was."

"Well, I'm pretty sure it's him,"

"PRETTY SURE?" her dad almost shouted again, but louder this time.

"Oh my God!" said her mother.

"It's him, alright?" said Morrisette, in an angry tone. "Couldn't be anybody else, because I didn't ... you know ... with anybody else. Okay?"

"Don't be upset," said my dad. "We were only going by what you said. If you say it's him, then it's him. We'll just have a DNA test at the end of the pregnancy and make sure. That's all.

"I don't think they should get married," he continued. "They are both too young, I think. And I know that Chris is."

"Married! I should say not," her dad said.

"I don't want him to see her again," said her mother. "He's obviously a bad influence."

"Well," said my mom, "no matter whose idea it was initially for them to get together, I agree: they should stay apart now." It didn't sound like she thought it was my idea. And it wasn't, actually. Well, not all of it. "Chris is going to be grounded for a long time."

We went back and forth for a while. Actually all of them did – I didn't really say much of anything. Then they all went back home, which left me alone with my parents. They were pretty quiet for a long time.

"Chris," said mom, "we love you and we'll always stand by you, no matter what. But this is a big mess. I told you not..."

"I know, I know," I interrupted. "You told me not to fool around with girls. I didn't shoot except in her mouth. Well, once I did on her face, but I couldn't control that. I didn't want to make her mom faint or anything, so I didn't mention that. I swear."

My dad smiled.

"Chris," dad said, "we're going to have a tough go of it until the baby is born. Honestly, I believe you. I think there's something that Morrisette is hiding. But until we get the DNA test or she changes her story, we'll just have to wait."

"In the meantime, young man..." uh oh. When my mother called me young man, I was gonna be in trouble. " ... you're grounded. Until further notice. You're not going anywhere that I or your dad can't be watching you."

"Okay, mom." When she's like that, the best thing to do is say 'okay.' "But what's that really mean? I get out of school at 2:45. You don't get home 'til 4, most days." Mom did volunteer work downtown at the Food Bank. "What do you want me to do?"

"What did you do last year?" asked Dad. It was pretty hard for him to keep up with what was going on, since he didn't get home 'til 6:30 or 7. It was even later than that when I was younger and he wasn't a partner, but I don't remember what his schedule was like, back then.

"Well," I said, "I usually walked some of the girls home. But then Lu said they were taking advantage of me and I guess she was right. I didn't get much fun out of it. I'd just sit and listen to my CDs. Anyway, after that, Lu walked home with me and we just hung out. Her mom doesn't work and she'd always be there."

"Always?" mom asked.

"Uh huh ... That is, unless Lu had cheerleading practice or a game. She's a cheerleader, you know. Just like Morrisette and all the other girls who invited me to parties or who I walked home with."

"Hmmm," mom said. Then she looked out the living room windows and checked her watch. "C'mon, Chris. We're going to visit the Beleveres."

I stood up and looked at the grandfather clock in the hallway. It was almost 9. Mom already had her jacket on and was walking to the door. I wasn't going to bother with a jacket 'cause it was still pretty warm, but I followed her. Dad didn't move. Well, he moved toward the bar that was in the corner of the living room, but he didn't move to come with mom and me.

We crossed Fox Avenue and rang the bell. Lu answered and said, "Hi."

"Hello, Lucinda," mom always called her that, and Lu smiled. "I'd like – we'd like to visit for a moment with you and your parents, if that's all right."

"Sure, come on in. I'll just tell them you're here." She went into the TV room. Pretty soon, Mr. and Mrs. Belevere came out with Lu.

"Oh, hi Carolyn. Hello, Chris," she smiled at us. Carolyn was my mom's name. We were still standing in the middle of the living room. "Lucy was raised better than that. Please have a seat. Be comfortable. Can I get you something to drink?" They settled into the other chairs in the room.

"I won't take a lot of your time. Uhm ... Chris has gotten himself into some trouble and he's going to be grounded for a while. I wondered if he could come here after school? Just until I get home at 4."

"Sure, no problem," said Mrs. B. That's what I called her. "I'm home then anyway. And Lucy is usually home, too."

"But not 'til late on Thursdays or Fridays. Cheerleading, remember mom?" said Lu. "What kind of trouble are you in, Chris?"

"I don't think we..." said mom.

But I said almost at the same time, "Morrisette said I got her pregnant."

Mr. B. lit up his pipe and just looked. He was sitting on a chair by the fireplace. Mrs. B. looked surprised.

Lu said, "That can't be true ... Chris did you and Morrisette do it – you know all the way?"

I shook my head no, looking down at my sneakers.

"'Cause she and Todd Hamilton have been doing it hot and heavy since last spring, you know."

"He did ... I mean, he was ... they were? I mean... ," I was confused. "He was always at the parties, but I didn't think they..."

"Chris, didn't I tell you," said Lu, "that those girls were taking advantage of you. And you went to the parties anyway?"

I just nodded, yes.

"That's neither here nor there," said mom. "Chris did some things that apparently everybody warned him about. But he did them anyway. We'll find out about the baby's parentage after it's born, with a DNA test. He's grounded for the foreseeable future."

Mr. B. puffed a lot on his pipe; he was a teacher at the university. Then he said, "I know Chris. And I know Lucy. More to the point, I know this Morrisette girl, from Lucy's cheerleading. I don't have any objections to him spending time here. Either with Marlee (that's Mrs. B.) or with Lucy."

"Well, that's settled then," said Mrs. B. "I'll pick him up every day when school lets out."

"Oh, you don't have to do that. He can walk home," said mom.

"I'm sure he can. But I don't want him to face the censure of other children in or after school. And I'm sure there'll be some. No, I'll pick him up. It's no bother at all," said Mrs. B.

And that's what happened almost every day. Mrs. B. picked me up in her Volvo when school let out.

Well, Mrs. B. was right about what was going to happen in school. I guess some secrets are secrets and some secrets are public knowledge. Morrisette being pregnant was the public knowledge kind.